Governor Ortom urges Senate committee on works to check activities of FERMA

Governor Ortom urges Senate committee on works to check activities of FERMA

- Governor Samuel Ortom has advised the Senate committee on works to be vigilant in its supervision of federal roads

- The governor particularly urged the committee to beam its searchlight on the activities of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA)

- The governor made the call when members of the committee paid him a visit at Government House, Makurdi

Benue state governor, Samuel Ortom has urged the Senate committee on works to intensify supervision of all federal roads in the state with a view to making appropriate recommendations on them to the federal government.

Governor Ortom made the call when he received members of the committee led by Senator Kabiru Gaya (APC, Kano state) at the Government House, Makurdi.

Governor Ortom urges Senate committee on works to check activities of FERMA
Governor Ortom welcoming Senator Gaya and other committee members to the Government House. Photo credit: Terver Akase

He decried the deplorable state of the federal roads and stressed the need for the committee to inspect some of them in the state to have first hand experience of their conditions.

The governor also raised a concern that some contractors handling road projects in the state would either embark on a shoddy jobs or abandon work after being mobilised, thereby bringing greater hardship on the people.

Governor Ortom urges Senate committee on works to check activities of FERMA
Governor Ortom urges the committee to check the activities of FERMA. Photo credit: Terver Akase

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He also called on the committee to summon the management of FERMA with a view to checking its activities in Benue, stressing that their actions are inimical to the growth of the state.

He went on to cite an instance where the agency took responsibility for a portion of the Makurdi-Lafia road, but the road has since been abandoned.

In his remark, the chairman of the committee, Senator Gaya, said they were in the state to inspect some federal roads in order to take appropriate action for their repairs.

Governor Ortom urges Senate committee on works to check activities of FERMA
Senator Gaya assured the governor that a new law in the Senate will strengthen FERMA, Photo credit: Terver Akase

Senator Gaya assured the governor that the Federal Highway Act before the National Assembly when passed into law, would seek to redefine the role of FERMA and address other road challenges in the country.

He also commiserated with Governor Ortom, the government and people of the state over the recent flooding that had caused untold hardship on the people on behalf of the committee.

Governor Ortom urges Senate committee on works to check activities of FERMA
The delegation adorned in TIV attire in a photo session with the governor. Photo credit: Terver Akase

Also speaking, the senator representing Benue North West, Dr. George Akume who also decried the deplorable state of federal roads in the state, said the visit of the Senate Committee could only be meaningful if the federal highways were supervised.

Meanwhile, Nigeria's Senate president, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has stated ahead of the resumption of the Senate from its annual recess, that his focus since he assumed office, has been to build an effective and efficient legislature that directly impacts the lives of all Nigerians.

In a statement signed by his spokesman, Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki emphasized that the role of the legislature in a young democracy like Nigeria is often misconstrued, hence, it is necessary for the National Assembly to work towards positively influencing the lives of all Nigerians through its powers of lawmaking, oversight and advocacy.

READ ALSO: Nigerians choose President Buhari ahead of 2019 elections - Poll results

Watch locals scoop fuel from a broken down tanker in Abia state on Legit.ng TV:

Source: Legit.ng

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